The Essential Guide to Proposal Development

How to Use the SMA Process to Create Winning Proposals

This book will familiarize you with the SMA proposal process—a process developed over 40 years ago that applies system engineering and program management principles to the development of responses to structured competitions including government procurements and formal commercial solicitations.

Why do we specifically use the phrase “proposal development” in this book?

Successful proposals are designed, engineered and built. The approach and process described in this book are based on systems thinking principles, just like how your firm’s product is designed, engineered, and manufactured, or your service offering is designed, configured, and provisioned. Proposal management and writing are just several of many aspects of successful bidding and are perhaps the more easily accomplished tasks you will undertake to win.